Tablet.



W. K. WATERMAN.

TABLET.

APPLICATION FILED JULY1B,I913,

Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H' Tag-.2.

.'.J//VESSES /fwEA/m-Q William K. VVarermon W. K. WATERMAN.

TABLET.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1a, Isls.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NVENTOR William K. Wa fermun ATTORNEYS WITNESSES 'UNITED STATES. PATENT oFFIcE.

WILLIAM K. WATERMAN, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

\ TABLET.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM K. WATER- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, Flushing, borough of Queens, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented aneW and Improved Tablet, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to tablets having opaque metallic letters on a marble panel as a background.

The object of the invention is to provide a'new and improved tablet for use on the outside of stores, olice buildings, banks and other structures, and arranged to be legible during the day and during the night by evenly illuminating the panel or background to render the opaque letters distinctly visible, to project but little from the face of the structure to Which the tablet is attached, and to give the tablet an exceedingly artistic appearance.

In order to accomplish the desired result use is made of a casing provided at the front with a frame, a panel or background of diaphanous materialand held in the said frame, opaque letters constituting a sign and attached to the face of the panel, a l'eflector arranged within the casing in the rear of the tablet and evenly distributed' illuminating means arranged Within the said casing in t-he front of the reliector and in the rear of the said panel to render the latter luminous with a view to sharply define the margins of the opaque letters and to render the latter legible.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a face view of the tablet; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same with the frame and panel removed; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section of the tablet; Fig. 4 is an'enlarged cross section of part of the tablet on the line 4 4- of Fig, 2; Fig. 5 is a plan View of one of the lamp sockets; Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the shading means for the incandescent, lamp; Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the same; and Fig. 8 is a face view of a modified form of the Incandescent lamps as applied and With the casing shown in seetmL The casing A of the tablet is provided at Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 18, 1913.

Patented Feb. 1o, 1914. Seri-al N0. 779,712.

the front with a frame B in which is hinged a door C provided with a panel or background D of a diaphanous material, such as marble, glass or the like, and on the face of the said panel D are secured letters, characters or ornaments E constituting a legend in the form of the name of a party, or advertising matter or other matter.

Within the casing A and at the back A thereof is arranged a refiector F, preferably provided With a prismatic face and secured in position by pliable metal clips F attached to the back A and bent over the top, bottom and side edges of the reflector F to securely hold the same in place. Lamp sockets G are secured to the back A' and project forwardly Within the casing above and below the reflector F, and the sockets G are arranged in pairs with the sockets in each pair arranged in vertical alinement for each pair to support an incandescent lamp H. By-reference to F ig. 2 it Will be noticed that the incandescent lamps H are spaced apart and their axes are parallel with the panel D and the reflector F to insure an even distribution of the light on the panel D.

In practice, the easing A and its frame B are preferably made of bronze, and the panel D is preferably made of white marble or glass with the exterior surface provlded with a hone or sand blast finish and with the inner surface preferably polished to insure a proper refraction and distribution of the light emanating from the incandescent lamps H.- The letters, characters or orna-` ments E are opaque and preferably made of bronze in a verd antique or dark finish. It will be noticed that by day the contrast of the bronze letters and fra-me B with the marble or glass panel D produces an agreeable effect to the eye, and by nightthe rays of light emanating from the lam sfH light up the panel D sufficiently to s arply define the margins of the letters, characters or o'rnaments D, to render the same distinctly visible and to produce a pleasing artistic effect,

It will be noticed that by arranging the incandescent lamps H, reflector F and the panel D in the manner described the light is evenly distributedL on the panel D so as to provide a uniform illumination of the letters, characters or ornaments E as above described, and in order to prevent a stronger illumination in front of the incandescent thereof.

lamps H than in the spaces intermediate the adjacent lamps, use is made of means for dulling or shading the light immediately in front of each incandescent lamp IL i In order to accomplish this .result the bulbs of the lamps H have their front portions H dulled by etching, sand blasting or a similar operation, and in order to hold each lamp in correct position use is made 0f a band I attached to the neck of the lamp and provided with a projection I engaging a recess G in the socket G, as plainly indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. By the arrangement described the incandescent lamps H can be correctly inserted in the sockets G with the shaded portions H in front, directly opposite the panel D.

In case each lamp H has a plain nonetched bulb use is made of a shade J, preferably of diaphanous material, and extending in front of the lamp H, and having a clip J engaging the neck of the lamp H, as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7. The clip J is provided with a depending lug J2 adapted to engage a notch G2 in the corresponding socket G to hold the shade J in proper front position.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the incandescent lamps Il are ot the linolite type and extend practically the entire height of the panel D to insure a uniform illumination Ordinary tubular incandescent lamps H2, however, may be used, as shown in Fig. 8, it being understood that in this case one incandescent lamp depends from an uppermost socket G and another one extends upward from a bottom socket, with the opposite ends of the two lamps in close proximity, to provide a practically continuous light throughout the height of the panel D. The incandescent lalnps H2 are shaded or dulled at the front the same` as1above described relative to the incandescent lamps H.

By constructing the tablet in the manner described the depth of the casing is reduced to a minimum so as not to form an undesirable projection on theiaade of the structure to which the tablet is attached, and by providing the door C access can be had whenever desired to the interior of they casing for repairs on the incandescent lamps H or other parts.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An outdoor tablet, comprising a casing provided at the front with a frame, a light transmitting panel held in the said frame, the outer face of the said panel being dull and the inner face being polished, opaque letters constituting a legend and secured to the face of the said panel, a reflector in the rear of the said casing and spaced from and arranged parallel to the said panel, the reflector' being approximately of the same size as the panel, a series of incandescent lamps arranged in the said casing intermediate the said panel and the said reflector, the said incandescent lamps having bulbs extending the height of the said panel and reflector and the said bulbs having their axes parallel to the said panel, and the said incandescent lamps havin dulling means associated with their front fgaces to reduce the transmission of light at the front of the bulbs.

. 2. A tablet, comprising a casing provided at the front with a frame, a panel of diaphanous material held in the opening of thel frame, opaque letters attached to theface ot the said panel, a reflector within the said casing and attached to the back thereof, lamp sockets within the said casing and projecting from the back thereof above and lc low the said reflector, and incandescent elec-- tric lamps set in the said sockets and ha ving their axes parallel with the said panel and the said reflector.

3. A tablet, comprising a casing provided at the front with a frame, a panel of diaphanous material' held in the opening of the frame, opaque letters attached to the face of thesaid panel, a reflector within the said casing and attached to the back thereof', lamp sockets within the said casing and projecting from the back thereof above and low the said reflector, incandescent electric lamps set in the said sockets and having their axes parallel with the said panel and the said reflector, the fronts of the bulbs of the lamps being dulled, and coacting locking means on the said lamps and sockets to normally seat the bulbs in the sockets and to hold the bulbs from turning in the sockets.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the'prcscnce of two subscribing witnesses.

lVILLIAM K. WATERMAN.

Witnesses:

TIIEO. G. I'losTEn, PHILIP D. ROLLUAUS. 

